So you want to give a powerful presentation?By: Mary Chaney

Where to begin…0There are certain steps one can take in order to

establish a powerful presentation.

0 Material & content0 Organization0 Appropriate use of technology

Material in a Presentation

0Create an effective opening0 “An effective opening provides the audience with a brief

outline of your main points” (Part I no. 7, pg. 5). The opening of a presentation leaves the audience with a general impression of what is to come.

0 Know your audience0Knowing your audience greatly affects the way you give a

presentation. The way you would give a presentation in a business meeting is entirely different than if in a classroom with 4-year-olds. (Part V, no. 5, pg. 31).

Content!

0Garr Reynolds explains that while content is very important, it is what you do with the content that affects the audience.

0You must build on this content “into a winning story that you’ll use to connect with your audience.” He stresses the importance of “simplicity”, showing that a good presentation includes what is needed to know, and to give enough to connect to the audience, but not overload them with information.

Organization

0Organizing a presentation can simply mean to explain only what is necessary to get your point across. Garr Reynolds’ explains his ten steps to an organized presentation: Garr Reynolds' Website

0 It is important when presenting that you include only the information that is needed to get across. If you begin to stray, your presentation can lose its focus.

Appropriate Technology

0There are certain types of technology that are best suited for different age groups, and different environments.

0When teaching a classroom of young children, it may be appropriate to display a presentation on the screen that allows them to interact, such as a Smartboard. Use of this board allows the student to write on the screen, and the teacher can save the work the child has done.

0 If a presentation is to be given to an older class, a PowerPoint, such as this, could be understood easily.

It all depends…0On the audience. Each presentation will differ

depending on whatever situation you may be in. The number one way to connect with an audience for a powerful speech is to understand who you are presenting to, and what they need to know.

Work Cited

0 Jukes, Ian. Bringing Down the House: Creating Sensational Knock-Your-Socks-Off Presentations. The InfoSavvy Group, 2005. Web. 10 Feb. 2012.

0Lever-Duffy, Judy, and Jean B. McDonald. Teaching and Learning with Technology. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011. 154. Print.